1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to door locking or latching devices and more particularly to a novel door latch apparatus which is portable in nature and upon installation protects the door surface against damage.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Many attempts have been made in the prior art to deal with the problem of portable safety door locks which can provide readily useable positive auxiliary door locks for use in locking hotel, motel or other doors on the inside where there is a likelihood of being robbed while sleeping, due to the fact that others may have a duplicate key to the conventional door lock. Several of these prior art devices have provided portable safety door locks which will securely lock most such doors from the inside and can be readily released when and as required.
The most pertinent of the prior art door locks of the same general type may be found in U.S. Pat. No. 1,166,692 to Kennedy, U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,761 to Lambert, or U.S. Pat. No. 4,386,797 to Duran, Sr. Compared to the foregoing prior art, the novel portable safety door lock disclosed herein is less cumbersome and does not damage either the door or door frame to which the device is secured.
Therefore, the prior art has not satisfied the long-standing need which has existed to provide a novel door-latching apparatus which may be readily carried from place to place by the user, which is totally self-contained to the extent that a portion of the lock means also serves as a carrier, and which may be installed with no particular expertise or knowledge and without special tools, and yet serves to protect the door and the door frame from damage from the lock itself.